Therapeutical compositions against psoriasis

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to therapeutical compositions on medical herb basis for the treatment of psoriasis and the preparation of the same. A further object of the invention in the use of medical herbs as listed below in the treatment of psoriasis, rheumatism and asthmatic dyspnoea. The medical herbs used in the invention are as follows: 
     Allium sativum /garlic/, 
     Urtica dioica /common nettle/, 
     Chelidonium majus /milkweed/, 
     Veronica officinalis /veronica/, 
     Calendula officinalis /calendula or marigold/, 
     Achillea herba /millefolium/ /yarrow/, 
     Fumaria officinalis /fumitory, earth-gall/.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to therapeutical compositions on medicinalherb basis for the treatment of psoriasis. An other object of theinvention is the preparation of the said compositions. A further objectof the invention is the use of the medicinal herbs as listed below inthe treatment of psoriasis, rheumatism and asthmatic dyspnoea.

BACKGROUND ART

Psoriasis constitutes one of the most common chronic skin diseases. Evennowdays the origin thereof has not been clarified, presumably it isbased ona complex effect of various factors within the human organism.In pathological point of view it is a chronic dermatitis, withunnaturally high epithelial cell proliferation on the surface, andhyperaemia and dense lymphocita-infiltration on the corium side.Essentially, the disease may start in any period of life and exists fordecades with periodic eruptions and/or permanent centres. Psoriasis mostfrequently occurs on the tensive surfaces of limbs, on hairy scalp andtraumatic skin parts, respectively.

A large number of methods have already been used for the treatment ofpsoriasis. B. Issekutz and L. Issekutz, Gyogyszerrendeles, Medicina,Budapest, 1979 gives a comprehensive review on the methods and materialsused for the treatment of psoriasis. These treatments are, however,almost exclusively of symptomatic character only as no compositionagainst psoriasis has been provided which would result in a totalcurative effect or at least in a suppression of the disease for a longerperiod, i.e. for some years. The literature suggest for the treatment ofpsoriasis e.g. vitamins B₁₂ or A, different creams containing arsenicacid or arsenates, cooling ointments containing aluminum acetate,desquamatories with resorcine as active ingredient, lotions containingtallium acetate, as well as other compositions which contain salycilicacid or the derivatives thereof. The ointment Psoriasin contains2,2'-dichlorodiethylsulfide/mustardgas/, the said ointment may be used,however, only once daily as a thin smear. The tar ointments have thedisadvantage that only a part of the skin area may be treated once andeven with a short contact period. The salycilic acid compositions servefor a desquamation of the skin surface and as such they are again ofsymptomatic effect only as the disease will not be terminated.

In the popular therapy a wide scale of medicinal herbs is used againstskin diseases. No medicinal herb has been known, however, for theeffective treatment of psoriasis.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a composition whichnot only serves for symptomatic treatment of psoriasis, but alsosuppresses the same finally or at least for a long period.

The invention is based on the recognition that some combinations ofmedicinal herbs when used externally on the skin, provide a method oftreatment and therapeutical composition, respectively, which fulfil therequirements as aimed above.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention provides therapeutical compositions againstpsoriasis which comprises a combination of different medicinal herbs.Another object of the invention is the process for preparing the abovetherapeutical compositions. Another object of the present invention isthe use of certain combinations of medical herbs in the treatment ofpsoriasis, rheumatic symptoms and asthmatic dyspnoea.

According to the present invention the therapeutical compositionscomprise the extracts of the following drug plants:

Allium sativum/garlic/,

Urtica dioica/common nettle/,

Chelidonium majus/milkweed/,

Veronica officinalis/veronica/,

Calendula officinalis/calendula or marigold/,

Achillea herba/millefolium/ /yarrow/,

Fumaria officinalis/fumitory, earth-gall/.

The therapeutical compositions according to the present inventioncomprise suitably the extracts of at least three of the above medicalherbs.

In the natural therapy the garlic is especially used against senescensesymptoms, arteriosclerosis, hypertonia, diarrhoea, intestinal worms,etc. The juice thereof is said to be effective against warts as well.The plant comprises garlic oil, alliin and allicin as pharmacologicallyactive ingredients. The latter may be regarded as antibiotic butpossesses insecticidal effect as well.

The main amount of the common nettle drug is used in the preparation ofchlorophyll. The tea thereof is used against rheumatism, gout, diabetes,oedema, urticaria, catarrhal cystitis, hypertonia, gastroenteritis,exanthems, renal gravel, etc. Externally it has the use againsthaemorrhoid as sitting bath, against exanthems as lotion, againstpsilosis, seborrhea and oily hair as hair wash.

The milkweed belongs to the family of Papaveraceae. The drug thereof isused in the preparation of medicines against bilious and liverdisorders, as well as gastroenteritis also in industrial scale. Thefresh juice of the plant serves for treating warts and corns.

The tea of veronica is known as antitussive and against asthma andcardiac asthma.

The decoction of calendula may be used internally against gastric andintestinal ulcer and externally for packing of slowly healing wounds andulcers. It is also known as colouring agent in foodstuffs, medicines anddrinks.

The drugs of yarrow are appetizers and digestives. They can be used asanticonvulsiva for promoting the bile and liver function, in thetreatment of ureteral and respiratory disorders and as hypotensiveagents, respectively. Externally, the concoction thereof is useful washand lotion against gingival, ocular and general inflammations.

The tea of fumitory has appetizing, digestive, laxative and cholereticeffect. It is used against icterus as well.

During our experiments it has been established that the above drugs,when used separately, did not provide sufficient curative effect againstpsoriasis. Surprisingly, it has been found that certain combinations ofthe same which comprise preferably at least two or more of the abovemedical herbs a high curative effect might be obtained. Therefore thecompositions according to the present invention comprise suitably atleast three of the extracts of the above drug plants. Of course, thetherapeutical compositions may also contain more than three activeingredients, e.g. all the seven as well.

In the compositions according to the present invention the extracts ofthe above medicinal herbs are preferably those prepared with an oil. Asoil, vegetable, animal and mineral oils can be used. During theextraction preferably paraffin oil or sunflower oil is used. Thecompositions according to the present invention are prepared preferablyin a form suitable for the treatment of skin. For these purposes theoily extract of the medicinal herbs itself or the mixture thereof withat least one additive generally used in the preparation of externaltopical compositions may be used. Especially preferred additive is theparaffin oil which may be of medical grade/PH. HG. VII/or cosmetic gradeas well. The compositions according to the present invention may alsocontain further additives known per se, e.g. colouring agents,flavouring agents, etc. As flavouring and colouring agents not only theadditives generally used by the pharmaceutical industry, but alsoadditional medical herb extracts can be used. Such medical herbs aree.g. the followings:

Calami rhizoma/sweet-sedge/,

Quercus cortex/oak-bark/,

Salix alba/cortex/ /willow cortex/,

Taraxi radix/daudelion/ /cortex/,

Alcanae radix/alkanna/.

The preparation of the therapeutical compositions is accomplishedpreferably by pouring the suitable extraction oil on the appropriatelycrushed, preferably ground dry medical herb, and keeping the mixture onelevated temperature for a longer period. Afterwards the supernatant isseparated from the solid plant residue and the supernatant is used forthe treatment as such or for mixing with additional additives to preparetherapeutical compositions. In case when besides the active ingredientsmedical herbs are also used as additives, it is preferred to introducethe latter in the extraction step.

The period and temperature of the extraction procedure is not critical,any temperature which does not result in thermal degradation of theactive substances in the drugs may be used while the extraction periodshould be long enough to provide a reasonable extraction grade at thetemperature used. Preferably the extraction is carried out for 12 to 48hours, at a temperature of 40° to 70° C.

According to the preferred embodiment of the process the extraction iscarried out for 24 hours at 60° C. According to the most preferredembodiment of the present invention during the extraction carried outwith the oil not the whole garlic but the solid material content havingpreviously been extracted with an alcohol is used. By this previousextraction the appearance of the composition can substantially beimproved. The alcoholic extraction of garlic can be carried out with anyliquid alcohol, preferably methanol and ethanol. The use of 96% ethanolis most preferred. The temperature and period of the alcoholicextraction is not critical, it can be carried out preferably below or onthe boiling point of the alcohol used therein. The extraction ispreferably carried out also at 60° C. for 24 hours under continuousstirring.

After the extraction the alcohol is removed from the solid material,preferably by filtering, the solids are dried, preferably in vacuo at50° to 60° C. and then added to the dry material of the oil extraction.

During our experiments a large number of patients were treated with thecompositions according to the present invention and in 90% of thetreatments after several weeks' use the symptoms of psoriasis completelydisappeared and did not re-appear. Of course, the treatment periodstrongly depends on the grade of disease and age and physical conditionof the patient.

During our experiments it has also been surprisingly found that themedical herbs used in the above compositions and/or the compositionsthemselves are not only active against psoriasis but also againstrheumatism and asthmatic dyspnoea. Accordingly, another object of thepresent invention is the use of the above medical herbs, the mixturesthereof and the compositions containing the same in the treatment ofrheumatism and asthmatic dyspnoea.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is further illustrated in the following examplewithout limiting the scope of protection to the embodiment illustratedtherein.

EXAMPLE

10 kg of garlic was crushed and ground and put into an appropriatecontainer. 7,5 liter of 96% ethanol was poured on and the mixture waskept for 24 hours at 60° C. while continuously stirring. The supernatantwas separated and the residue was dried in vacuo at 50° to 60° C. untildisappearing of the alcohol smell. The dry garlic material, pre-treatedas above, was added to the following crushed and ground medical herb drymaterial:

    ______________________________________                                        Urtica dioica /common nettle/                                                                       300 g,                                                  Chelidonium majus /milkweed/                                                                        300 g,                                                  Veronica officinalis /veronica/                                                                     300 g,                                                  Calendula officinalis /calendula/                                                                   300 g,                                                  Achillea herba /yarrow/                                                                             200 g,                                                  Fumaria officinalis /fumitory/                                                                      200 g,                                                  Calami rhizoma /sweet-sedge/                                                                        200 g,                                                  Quercus cortex /oak-bark/                                                                           100 g,                                                  Salix alba /cortex/ /willow cortex/                                                                 300 g,                                                  Taraxi radix /daudelion/ /cortex/                                                                   300 g,                                                  Alcanae radix /alkanna/                                                                              5 g.                                                   ______________________________________                                    

The crushed dry material was mixed 90 liter of paraffin oil was pouredthereon and the mixture thus obtained was stirred for 24 hours at 60° C.The dry material was separated by centrifuging and if the extract wasturbid, filtered. To the clear oil composition thus obtained 10 liter ofsunflower oil was added and filled into appropriate bottles or othercontainers. Thus, compositions against psoriasis, ready for use wereobtained.

In the compositions according to the invention any of the seven majorcomponents may be present in 0 to 60% of the total dry weight of activeingredients. The garlic may be present even in a higher concentration,i.e. up to 90%.

I claim:
 1. An oil-based plant extract useful in the topical treatmentof psoriasis which comprises an extract obtained by heating crushedplant material with topically acceptable vegetable or mineral oil at atemperature of from 40°-70° C. and separating and recovering the oilyphase obtained wherein said plant material consists essentially of dryresidue after alcohol extraction of garlic and the following medicalherbs urtica dioica, veronica officinalis, Calendula officinalis,Achillea herba, Fumaria officinalis, Calami rhizoma, Quercus cortex,Salix alba cortex, Taraxi radix cortex and Alcanae radix in a ratio ofabout 60:60:60:60:40:40:40:20:60:60:1.